After months of searching, finally found a 351W for my 82 bronco. Had a few questions.. Might post this in the engine section if I don't get to many hits, but thought i would start here since it is techniclly pre-97.

-Where is a good place to buy intake manifolds (read - cheap place). Looks like I will go with the edelbrock 2181 which is the non egr version. I already have a 1406 edelbrock on my current 302, and I am going to go with that for a carb.

-anybody know what the story is w/ the accessory brackets? the 351 came with the bracket for the alternator and thats it. i have done some reading online and people say this is a pain finding these...any thoughts on where to pick up an AC and power steering bracket and will the ones on my 302 not work?

-I want to put in a high torque cam - any suggestions? should I go with the one edelbrock recomends or would i get more bang for my buck with a different brand?

-is it really worth it to get a new distributor (the one on the engine is new) and aftermarket ignition or just stick to the duraspark 2?

-pro's / con's of long tube vs shorty headers? keep in mind i want torque out of this engine, but some high end would be nice....

 

1. Intake (ebay or corral.net) used or (summit) new
2. Accessory Brackets - will a later model accessory (early - mid 90's) setup work? Is your current setup Serpentine or v-belt? I would look for a serp setup if possible.
3. Cam Selection - I like crane and go with a roller conversion
4. Distributor- If it is new i would leave it alone. IF you go with a roller cam you will have to change the distributor gear though. The duraspark should be fine unless you are using crazy compression (over 10.5- 1)
5. I have always preferred the long tube headers for performance. I would go with 1 5/8 and get them coated or in stainless.

Sounds like a awesome setup you are working on. Good luck.

 

Check Ebay for the manifold and for accessory brackets. You can find stock ones on there as well as chrome ones i got all chrome brackets for my 351w for about 50 bucks. It's not show quality chrome by any means but it makes the engine bay look good on a budget. Keep the stock ignition, unless you are using forced induction or nitrous the stock setup is more than adequate. Long tubes are good. I am doing a comp cams roller cam conversion in my 351 its pretty much a free 20-30hp just make sure to use a brass distributor gear and plan on changing it at least once a year. You have to use a small base circle cam with the roller conversion kit and there arent a lot of them available. Call the cam company for advice, they will ask you all kinds of questions like the weight of your truck, horsepower, torque convertor stall speed, gear ratios etc. Getting the right cam that matched your combination is the most important factor in having a strong running engine.

-Jon